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Torpedoboot Ausland
The Torpedoboot Ausland (= "foreign torpedo boats") were small destroyers or large torpedo boats captured by Nazi Germany and incorporated into the Kriegsmarine. They were assigned a number beginning with TA TA 1 to TA 6 These ships were former French [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Le_Fier_class_destroyer&action=edit&redlink=1 Le Fier class light destroyers], under construction in France. None were completed for the Germans. TA 7 and TA 8 Former Royal Norwegian Navy [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleipner_class_destroyer Sleipner class] destroyers, of an enlarged design. Captured during the German invasion of Norway in 1940, while still under construction and yet to be named. Launched but not completed due to sabotage by the Norwegian resistance movement TA9 to TA 13 Former French 600 ton torpilleurs taken over in April 1943 *TA 9 (ex La Bombarde) sunk by air raid 23 August 1944 in the Tyrrhenian Sea *TA 10 (ex La Pomone) damaged by HMS Eclipse 23 September 1943, not repaired *TA 11 (ex L'Iphiginie) sunk by Italian MAS boats 11 September 1943 *TA 12 (ex La Baliste) not used by the Germans because of poor material condition *TA 13 (ex La Bayonnaise) not used by the Germans because of poor material condition TA 14 Former Italian Turbine class destroyer, Turbine - captured in Piraeus, September 1943. Served in the Aegean Sea and sunk by US Air Force in Salamis on 16 September 1944. - page from German Navy TA 15 Former Italian Sella class destroyer Francesco Crispi, Captured in the Aegean in September 1943. Sunk by air raid near Heraklion on 8 March 1944. 34 men were killed. - page from German Navy TA 16 and TA 19 Former Italian Curtatone class destroyers, captured in the Aegean Sea, September 1943 *TA 16 - ex Castelfidardo sunk at Heraklion after damage by RAF air raid[1] *TA 19 - ex Calatafimi sunk by Greek Submarine Pipinos 9 August 1944.[2] TA 17 and TA 18 Ex Italian Palestro class destroyers captured in Piraeus 9 September 1943. *TA 17 - ex San Martino, Operated in the Aegean, Scuttled 12 October 1944 after damage in an air raid on Salamis *TA 18 - ex Solferino, Operated in the Aegean, sunk by British destroyers [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Tuscan_(R56) HMS Tuscan] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Termagant_(R89) Termagant] 19 October 1944 TA 20 Ex Italian destroyer Audace. Operated in the Adriatic sea. Sunk by British Hunt class destroyers HMS Avondale and HMS Wheatland.[3] TA 21 Ex Italian torpedo boat Insidioso, sunk by aircraft torpedo in Fiume 5 November 1944 Ref TA 22 and TA 35 Ex Italian torpedo boats Giuseppe Missori and Giuseppe Dezza seved in the Adriatic TA 23, TA 25 and TA 26 Ex Italian Ciclone class Torpedo boats served on the west coast of Italy TA 24 group Please see Ariete class torpedo boat article TA 31 Ex Italian Freccia class destroyer Dardo. Captured in Genoa. Damaged in an air raid 25 October 1944 and scuttled 24 April 1945 TA 32 Former Yugoslav destroyer Dubrovnik which was captured by the Regia Marina in 1941 and renamed Premuda. Re-built by the Germans as a Radar Picket destroyer armed with 105 mm guns. Commissioned 18 August 1944 and served on the west coast of Italy. Damaged by British destroyers in March 1945 and scuttled in Genoa 25 April 1945. TA 33 and TA34 Ex Italian Soldati class destroyers *TA 33 ex Corsaro, ex Squadrista not completed, sunk on 4 September 1944 while running trials in Genoa *TA 34 ex Carrista, not completed TA 37, TA 38 and TA 39 In September TA 37, TA 38 (ex-Spada) and TA 39 (ex-Daga) were transferred from the Adriatic to the 9th Torpedo Boat Flotilla in the Aegean. They had some momentary success. On October 5, 1944 TA 38 and TA 39 intercepted and sank HDML1227 and engaged the HMS Belvoir and HMS Waddon, Hunt Class destroyers. However in the next 11 days, their luck soon ran out. On October 7 TA 37 and the whole convoy that she was escorting were sunk by destroyers, HMS Turmagent and HMS Tuscan. TA 38 was lost to an air attack on October 13 and TA 39 sank because of striking a mine on October 16. TA 40, TA 41and TA 42 TA 40 former Italian torpedo boat PUGNALE. She was repaired and recommissioned as the TA-40 and on February 17, 1945, when off Trieste was severely damaged in an air attack in February and scuttled on May 4, 1945. TA 41 (ex-Lancia) was damaged by bombs at Trieste and was not repaired. She was wrecked in May. TA 42 (ex-Alabarda) was sunk at Venice to air attack on January 23, 1945. TA 43 Former Yugoslav destroyer Beograd, which was captured by the Italians in 1941 and renamed Sibenico served in the Adriatic and scuttled in Trieste 1 May 1945 TA 44 Ex Italian Navigatori class destroyer Antonio Pigafetta captured at Fiume, served in Adriatic. Sunk in an air raid on Trieste 17 February 1945. TA 45 TA 45, former Italian torpedo boat SPICA of the ARIETE class TA 45 SPICA was enlisted into German service on the 8 September 1944, but it was fully equipped only in 23 November 1944 (although it participated in the combat duties even though it was not completed). TA 45 sailed to her last mission on 10 April 1945 together with TA 40 PUGNALE. Her duty was to escort and protect the tank carriers in the Velebit channels, at the time when the units of People’s Liberation Army of Yugoslavia started to land at the island of Rab supported by British light naval forces. The torpedo boat TA 45 was destroyed by the British torpedo boats which waited in the ambush near the cape Glavina on the isle of Krk. TA 46 and TA 47 The two incomplete Ariete Class boats also received attacks. TA 46 (ex-Fionda) was sunk in an incomplete state at Fiume on February 20, 1945 and TA 47 (ex-Balestra) was damaged on the slipway and never launched. Balestra, still on the slip, survived the war. Seized by Yugoslavian forces and completed in 1949 as Ucka. She stayed in service until 1963. Notes #'^' Ref #'^' Ref #'^' Ref References *Gröner, Erich (1990). German Warships: 1815–1945. Volume 1: Major Surface Warships. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-790-9. *Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2. *Whitley, M. J. (1991). German Destroyers of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-302-8. External links *TA boats on German Navy.de Category:Kriegsmarine Torpedo Boat classes of WWII